McCluster, defense lead Ole Miss to 21-7 Cotton Bowl victory

Ole Miss running back Dexter McCluster leaps over the goal line to score the go-ahead touchdown as Oklahoma State safety Lucien Antoine tries to stop him during the fourth quarter of the Cotton Bowl Saturday in Texas.

ARLINGTON, Texas — In a game that was otherwise an abject disaster, only Dexter McCluster was capable of producing something beautiful. There he was, in mid-flight as he crossed the goal line late in the fourth quarter, those trademark braids spraying loose and flapping against his jersey.

His go-ahead touchdown sent Ole Miss to a 21-7 victory over No. 21 Oklahoma State on Saturday afternoon in the 74th AT&T Cotton Bowl, salvaging some good feeling for the Rebels in the wake of a tumultuous season that began with national title aspirations.

"I come in with the mindset that I'm not going to worry about the defense," said McCluster, a senior tailback who stood still long enough to kiss the Sanford Trophy as the game's outstanding offensive player. "I want the defense to worry about me."

McCluster had 32 carries for 184 yards, caught five passes for 45 yards and sprinted for two touchdowns.

He became the first player in Southeastern Conference history to finish a season with 1,000 yards rushing and 500 yards receiving. And he will be missed by Ole Miss (9-4, 4-4), which would have been in an enormous amount of trouble without him — both against Oklahoma State (9-4, 6-2 Big 12) and all season long.

"We knew we were going to run his legs off," Ole Miss coach Houston Nutt said. "It was our last game together, our last 60 minutes."

McCluster created high art during 3-plus hours of football that were marred by fumbles (7), interceptions (6) and penalties (16). The game lacked any semblance of flow or rhythm, a clear example of how a monthlong layoff for bowl-bound teams can result in more rust than rest.

And while football gurus will never use the game film for instructional purposes, what mattered to Nutt was that the Rebels won their second straight Cotton Bowl — the first at Cowboys Stadium. A crowd of 77,928 filled the gleaming structure.

"I wish we could have helped the defense a little bit more," Nutt said. "But the bottom line is winning."

Ole Miss limited Oklahoma State to 236 yards of total offense and senior linebacker Patrick Trahan returned a fumble 34 yards for a late touchdown that sealed the win. He was flagged in the end zone for "drawing attention to oneself," a 15-yard penalty that he acknowledged was worth it.

"I told everybody what I was going to do if I scored," Trahan said. "Nobody believed me, so I made it happen."

As for the Rebels' offense? Well, one series in the fourth quarter typified the whole mess. On first-and-goal from the Oklahoma State 3, Ole Miss left tackle Bradley Sowell false-started for the second time in two possessions. Junior quarterback Jevan Snead was sacked twice, then threw a wobbler at wide receiver Patrick Patterson's feet.

So it seemed only appropriate that kicker Joshua Shene would trot onto the field and misfire on a field-goal attempt from 38 yards.

But if the Rebels were largely inept, then the Cowboys were atrocious. Oklahoma State had suffered over the latter half of the season, ever since star receiver Dez Bryant was declared ineligible by the NCAA. And when the Cowboys did threaten, the Rebels shut them down.

With the game tied at 7 early in the third quarter, Ole Miss stopped Oklahoma State on three straight plays from inside the 2-yard line — including fourth-and-goal from the 1. The Cowboys totaled just eight first downs in the game.

"I feel like you've got to score touchdowns to win the game," Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy said when asked about the decision to go for it on fourth down. "In a game like this, in order to win, you have to be able to get 6 inches."

It was a brutal outing for Snead, who completed 13-of-23 passes for 184 yards and threw three interceptions. In the second quarter, after Snead's second interception, Oklahoma State safety Markelle Martin leveled the quarterback with a block that knocked his helmet off.

With Snead regaining his senses on the bench, backup quarterback Nathan Stanley skipped onto the field. His excitement was obvious. And the call on his first snap was predictable: Hand the ball to McCluster. It might have been the best play either Ole Miss quarterback made all day.

McCluster bolted through a huge hole on the right side, thanks in part to a nice block by left guard Reid Neely, and ran 86 yards into the end zone for the game's first score. It was the second-longest run in Cotton Bowl history and the fourth-longest in Ole Miss history.

"I always dreamed about coming in and being an SEC running back," McCluster said. "A lot of people said I couldn't do that."

So he ran from the critics and the skeptics, and he kept running. And only then did everyone else realize what he already knew: No one could stop him.